BOURNE – When no one seems capable of defeating you, people take notice.
That’s the way it’s been the past two seasons for the Upper Cape Tech girls’ basketball team and Tuesday night proved no different as the 12-0 Rams maintained a lead the entire game en route to a 51-36 victory over visiting Avon.
Upper Cape Tech’s Krystle DiBona (4) blows by her defender in last night’s 51-36 win over Avon. The Rams remain unbeaten at 12-0.
Sean Walsh/capecod.com sports
Upper Cape Tech is one of three girls’ basketball teams on the Cape that remain unbeaten on the season, including Falmouth (11-0) and St. John Paul II (8-0).
Amber DiBona was the high scorer for the Upper Cape squad with 15 points, followed closely behind by center Alexandra Hill who poured in 12 and pulled down 14 rebounds for a double-double.
In a relatively close game at the outset, the first quarter ended a humble 8-4 with the hosts in the lead, but in the second quarter Upper Cape took off running and gunning as DiBona buried a trio of three-pointers while her sister Krystle DiBona sank one.
“We had a couple guys out and a couple sick,” head coach Robin Davidson said. “And we didn’t even get to practice yesterday. We haven’t been able to practice since last Monday.”
But even though Upper Cape turned it on for 19 second quarter points, Avon nearly matched the hosts shot for shot, dumping in 16 points, including a pair of treys from Maggie Duggan. Duggan finished the high-scorer for both teams with 19 points, including three three-pointers.
“That wasn’t the same team we faced last time,” Davidson said. “They worked really hard. They weren’t hitting those three-pointers last time we saw them.”
Upper Cape Tech is now 33-3 since the start of last season, have won 12 straight this year and are looking forward to the postseason to gain some redemption after last year’s MIAA Division 4 South Sectional tournament loss to West Bridgewater. The Rams are 5-0 in the Mayflower Athletic Small Conference with three conference match-ups left.
The Rams have another six days until they play again when they hit the road for a non-conference game against Sacred Heart (Kingston) on Monday, Jan. 26.
“They will be good,” Davidson said.
Upper Cape Tech’s Alexandra Hill puts up one of her six baskets on the night in Tuesday’s 51-36 win over Avon. Hill scored in each quarter to help lead her squad to victory once again. She also had 14 rebounds.
Sean Walsh/capecod.com sports
Upper Cape took a 27-20 lead into the locker room at halftime, but started cruising in the third quarter when Davidson shifted her squad into a full-court press. All totaled, Krystle DiBona recorded five third-quarter steals and had seven on the night. The strategy worked nearly flawlessly as the hosts outscored Avon 16-6 in the third frame, including a 5-9 performance from the charity stripe.
The Rams also used a better inside game in the second half to their advantage as Hill frequently out-maneuvered her defender on the low post for a handful of nice pivot shots off the glass.
“I’ve been working hard with her on the low-post,” Davidson said.
Avon got into quick foul trouble in the third quarter thus putting the hosts into the bonus.
That proved a good thing for Upper Cape which seemed to grow cold, offensively as the visitors made a last ditch attempt for a comeback. Avon outscored Upper Cape in the fourth quarter, 10-6. Upper Cape went 4-14 from the floor in the fourth frame but had built enough of a lead to keep Avon at bay and maintain the unbeaten streak.
Upper Cape Tech – 51
K. DiBona – 8
D. Green – 9
A. DiBona – 15
A. Hill – 12 (14 rebs.)
M. McDuffy – 5
H. Grassi – 2
Avon – 36
N. Dooghlin – 2
C. Brown – 5
M. Duggan – 19
S. Sinclair – 5
K. Calice – 2
J. Flynn – 3
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm.
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